1 Delaware Valley Hospital, Walton, NY
The purpose of this report is to describe an outbreak of tinea corporis due to Microsporum canis with an atypically widespread rash among a group of preteen and teenage schoolgirls. M canis is found worldwide as a common dermatophytic infection of both glabrous and hairy skin. Nosocomial out-breaks, which have been described in the institutional setting among geriatric patients and their caretakers, were thought to be transmitted by direct contact, contaminated linens, and shared razors.1 However, in the general population, the chief source of contagion of this zoophilic infection is domestic animals, particularly kittens.2
CASE REPORTS
Within a period of 12 days in November 1989, seven girls, aged 12 through 15 years, were seen with the presenting complaint of a rash.
Submitted on April 6, 1990